Hall of Fame Member Bios 1993

ALBERT DRULIS
Few individuals have given more to the Collingswood High School
athletic program than Al Drulis. After playing football at Temple
University and with the Chicago Cardinals and Pittsburgh Steelers
of the National Football League, Al arrived in Collingswood in the
late 1940’s.
He is best known for serving as head coach of the all-conquering
1958 football squad, the fabled Golden Eleven. That, however, is
only a small part of the services he has rendered. He was assistant
coach on the 1953 South Jersey basketball squad and has been an
assistant in a variety of sports.
For many years he was the capable and dedicated trainer of Panther
athletic squads. There, quite simply, was nothing that was needed
that Al did not provide. His contributions have been unlimited.

HAZEL NICKERSON GALLAGHER
Hazel arrived in Collingswood in 1930 and for the next decade the
girls athletic program was in superior hands. In field hockey she
directed her team to three area titles and finished second five
times. During her ten-year period as court coach her teams tasted
defeat but 16 times.
She was equally successful in basketball as her teams were annually
among the best in South Jersey. She also helped the girls’
program in a variety of ways and was one of those primarily responsible
for making Collingswood strong in girls as well as boys sports.
She married and left teaching but her contributions are well remembered.

JIMMY PICKEN
Jimmy Picken starred at Collingswood as a football lineman, basketball
guard, and baseball catcher. He went on to gain All-American honors
in basketball at Dartmouth, and served as bullpen catcher on the
fabled 1927 Yankees.
He returned to South Jersey to coach powerful teams at Audubon in
basketball, baseball and football. His 1937 football team was the
unofficial Group 3 state champions.

HARRY HALES
Harry Hales was one of the dominant linemen of the Irvine era. He
was named All South Jersey tackle for his outstanding play on the
1935 championship team. He was on his way to All-Star recognition
as a junior but suffered a mid-season injury. He returned to perform
brilliantly in the state championship game against Bloomfield.
Although a tackle, he was frequently moved to end by Irvine in passing
situations. From this position he scored both touchdowns in a 12-0
1935 victory over South Philadelphia.
Hales was also a powerful rebounder in basketball and a consistent
scorer in the weight events in track and field.

HOWARD “HOWDY” ROBERTS
Howdy Roberts had the honor of scoring the first touchdown of the
Irvine era. He was a three year starter in football, basketball
and baseball.
He was a star end on the 1920 and 1921 championship teams. Howdy
also starred in the 14-13 victory over Camden in 1922, the first
Colls team to defeat Camden. In that game he was switched to quarterback,
because of an injury to the regular quarterback, and played superbly.

CLIFF RUBICAM
Cliff Rubicam’s last minute field goal gave Collingswood a
9-7 victory over Camden. He was one of the finest kickers and punters
of the Irvine years. An inspirational player, he was captain as
a senior.
After attending Temple, he coached football at Woodbury and then
returned to Collingswood as assistant coach of the championship
team of 1942.
In 1949, following the death of Irvine, he became head coach and
led his team to the Group 4 championship. In 1956 he moved to Florida.

TED LAUX
One of Collingswood’s finest all-around athletes, Laux starred
in football, baseball and basketball. He lettered as a freshman
on the unbeaten team of 1932, then played the next three years as
a regular. In his final two years he was named All-South Jersey,
and in his senior football season of 1935 was selected All-State.
Both the 1934 and 1935 teams earned South Jersey titles and Laux
starred as a runner, passer, place-kicker and linebacker. He also
was a three year starter in baseball and basketball. He played football
at St. Joseph’s College and for two years was a backup quarterback
with the Philadelphia Eagles.
After playing independent baseball and football for years in the
South Jersey area he moved to California where he passed away.

WILLARD SCHAEFFER
Although an end, Schaeffer was the leading scorer on the 1936 Group
4 championship football team. His long touchdown runs on end-around
plays brought victories over Vineland and Woodrow Wilson. His brilliant
play brought him All-South Jersey honors.
He was a regular on Ben Mark’s 1936-37 unit which won the
Camden Suburban League title. In track he was the state Champion
in the pole vault.
Recruited by the University of Southern California, Schaeffer was
a top vaulter on one of the top track and field teams in the nation.
He has spent most of his adult life in California.

CLAIRE ALDEN HARDEN
Claire was a four sport (hockey, basketball, tennis and softball)
athlete at Colls High from 1940-44. In her senior year, she captained
the hockey team and was a standout on the basketball team that won
all its’ league games.
Claire also had an outstanding athletic career at Temple University
and was elected to the Temple Hall of Fame in 1985. She has devoted
her adult years to teaching, coaching and building women’s
sports organizations in South Jersey.
She has produced 235 wins and many outstanding teams during 20 years
of coaching basketball at Holy Cross High School. Claire has served
on many basketball and hockey organizations and has received numerous
awards for her years of service. She is now retired from her teaching
career.

RUTH KING CLINE
Ruth was one of the many outstanding Colls High athletes produced
by the borough of Oaklyn. She credits Ruth Woolston Pond with starting
her on the path to sports success.
Ruth starred in hockey, basketball and softball at Collingswood
and is best remembered as captain of the undefeated 1950 hockey
team, one of the school’s best ever. She was the outstanding
female athlete in a class of great athletes and received the 1951
Girls Athletic Award.

AL LESLIE
Blessed with exceptional speed, Al Leslie could have been a top
sprinter. In the springtime though, his thoughts turned to baseball
where he played so well for coach Bill Diemer that he was sought
by many major league organizations. Upon graduation he did play
professional baseball for four years.
On the gridiron he used his speed and elusiveness to gain All South
Jersey honors as a halfback on the championship team of 1945. He
was a starting guard in basketball, which completes the trifecta
of having been a regular for Hall of Fame coaches, Diemer, Skeets
Irvine and Ben Mark.
He now lives in retirement in Tampa, Florida.

GORDON LESLIE
While three-sport athletes were common in the days before specialization,
only a handful truly excelled in all. One of those gifted performers
was Gordon Leslie.
He was an All South Jersey halfback in his junior year of 1947.
The next season he was off to one of the greatest starts of any
Collingswood running back until an injury reduced his playing time.
He still was named All Group 4 in 1948 and was a key member of Irvine’s
last championship team.
In basketball he was a top scorer and exceptional rebounder. On
the diamond he was a tremendous hitter and fleet baserunner. Many
professional teams bid for his services but he opted to go to Lafayette
College where he starred for three years and served as captain his
senior year. He is retired and lives in Clearwater, Florida.

AL FERNER
Al Ferner was a key player on Coach Jack McCloskey’s South
Jersey Group 4 championship basketball team of 1953. The next season
he set a school scoring record and was named the outstanding player
on a team which reached the sectional finals.
In football he earned All-Group 4 honors as an end who was a brilliant
pass receiver
and competent blocker. He lettered in baseball as a player who willingly
served in a variety of positions, including catcher.
He went to LaSalle where he captained the basketball squad and was
recognized as one of the top players in the city at a time when
the BIG FIVE was at its peak. He is now a school superintendent
in Burlington County.

RON GIORDANO
The Golden Eleven of 1958 is a unit that has become part of Collingswood
athletic lore. The quarterback and signal caller of that all-victorious
squad was Ron Giordano who excelled as a passer, runner and on-the-field
leader.
He was point guard on a powerful basketball team, which narrowly
missed winning the South Jersey Group 4 title. He also was a regular
player, contending baseball nines where he spent part of the time
as a true rarity, a southpaw second baseman.
His collegiate career at Bucknell was as successful as his scholastic
days at Collingswood. Starting as 7th string quarterback, he emerged
as Little All-America. He then played professional football in the
strong minor league circuits that then were a part of the football
landscape.

JOHN DENNIS LEARY
Denny was an outstanding and versatile athlete, lettering in three
sports his junior and senior years and two sports as a sophomore.
He was a member of four championship teams, two of which were undefeated.
He was a key member of the 1965 and 1966 Colonial Conference championship
football teams, performing as an offensive receiver, defensive end,
punter and placekicker. In wrestling, Denny helped lead his team
to two consecutive Colonial championships in 1966 and 1967. He was
a district champion at 157 pounds in his senior year. He also lettered
in track for three years and was an outstanding miler.
John Dennis Leary made the supreme sacrifice while serving his country
in the Vietnam War.
“It is for his truly inspirational performances in the face
of adversity, his silent leadership, as well as his selfless concern
for his teammates that we remember John Dennis Leary” says
Coach Sam Coursen.

RAY NARLESKI
In his years as a top reliever with the Cleveland Indians, many
of his rivals felt that Ray Narleski threw the best fastball in
the American League. It came as no surprise to many South Jersey
scholastic players who had the misfortune to face him when he was
setting strikeout records for coach Bill Diemer’s Panthers.
He signed with Cleveland out of high school and was a key member
of the Indian pitching staff which accumulated a record 111 victories.
In high school, besides his pitching prowess, he lettered as a reserve
quarterback on the championship football team of 1946 and then served
as co-captain of the 1947 unit. His leg was as strong as his arm
as many of the kickoffs landed in the enemy end zone.

FERNE LABATI
Ferne was one of the best all-around athletes at Colls High during
the decade of the 1960’s. She lettered for three years in
both field hockey and basketball and for two years in softball,
as well as playing on the tennis team.
Ferne captained the field hockey team in her senior year and, in
all sports, was known for her competitive spirit and will to win.
She received the South Jersey Conference Gold Medal for “Athlete
of the Year” in 1962-63.
After a fine collegiate career at East Stroudsburg, Ferne has become
known as one of the top women’s basketball coaches in the
nation –, first at Trenton State College and for the last
five years at the University of Miami (Fla.) She was Big East “Coach
of the Year” in 1991-92, when her Lady Hurricanes won 28 straight
games.

STEVE KAPLAN
Steve captained, and, along with Tim Wright, led the 1967-68 basketball
team to the South Jersey Group III finals. That team had the most
wins (28), the best record and scored more points than any other
Panther team.
Steve scored 1,131 points in three years and had an amazing field
goal percentage of 64%. In his senior year, he was All-Conference,
All-South Jersey and first team All-State, the first Colls player
so named in 25 years.
A two-year letterman in tennis, Steve ranked in the top ten scholastically
in his class and went on to achieve both academic and basketball
honors at Rutgers University. He and his family now reside in Israel.

CATHY ENGELBERT
Cathy is known to be the only Collingswood High athlete to achieve
All-South Jersey honors in three sports. She was a four-year performer
in tennis and a three-year starter in basketball and lacrosse.
She was All-Colonial Conference for four years and All-South Jersey
for three years in tennis. Cathy was also first team All-Colonial
Conference and first team All-South Jersey in basketball.
In lacrosse, Cathy was captain of the 1982 state championship team,
its leading scorer and MVP. She was named the “Offensive Player
of the Year” by the Courier-Post and was first team All-South
Jersey. A member of the National Honor Society at C.H.S., Cathy
was the first female recipient of the Colonial Conference Scholar-Athlete
Award in 1982.
She went on to have an outstanding career at Lehigh University,
where she earned a degree in accounting. Cathy is now putting her
accounting ability to good use by balancing the ledgers for the
Hall of Fame committee.

HENRY (HANK) ROSSELL, JR.
For the third straight year, a member of the Rossell family is being
inducted into the Collingswood Athletic Hall of Fame. Hank Rossell,
Jr., an outstanding athlete of the 1970’s, follows his father
(Hank, Sr., of course) and aunt Louise Godshall into the Hall of
Fame.
Hank, Jr. lettered for three years each in football, basketball
and baseball. An outstanding lineman, he was co-captain of a championship
football team and received many individual honors – including
first team All-Colonial Conference, first team All-Group III and
first team All-South Jersey. He also received the coveted Brooks-Irvine
Scholar-Athlete Award.